Girls Track Sprints to Borough Championship

Three Hornets cut through the pack at the Brooklyn Borough Championship February 12. *Photo: Continental Studios*

By DIANA ANISHCHANKA

Girls Varsity Indoor Track celebrated another successful season, placing first in the Brooklyn Borough Championship and top six in several events at the City Championship.

At the Brooklyn Borough Championship on February 12, the team showed their strength by taking home multiple first-place finishes. Sophomore standout Alexandra Watson led the way with a dominant performance in the 3000-meter run with a time of 12:10:62. Senior Maya Kushnick also had an impressive showing, finishing first in the 1500-meter dash with a time of 5:03:10, and senior Leila Dickman placed second at the pole vault.

At the City Championship on February 18, junior Nilufarbonu Ibaeva placed 3rd with a time of 8:45:82 for the 1500 meter race walk, Kushnick placed 3rd in the 1000 meter run, and Dickman placed 4th in the pole vault.

Kushnick was on a tear this year. Her impressive time of 2:21:50 in the emerging elite 800 meter at the national championship on March 12 secured her 19th place in the country.

In addition to the strong individual performances, the team as a whole has also been excelling this season. The girls have been putting in the hard work during practices, and it's paying off in their meets. Their versatility has also been a strength.

“We are all separated into groups, where sprinters, long and middle distance runners, and racewalkers do different workouts,” said senior Belinda Wu. “After a workout, we practice field events like javelin, pole vault, discus, high jump, and long jump.”

“We have a pole vaulter, long jumpers, and throwers, where most teams just have runners,” said Kushnick. “So because we have so many different events, we are one of the top schools.”

Despite facing injuries and tough competition, they’ve remained focused throughout the season. “We have great team spirit,” said Nora Lu Leventhal ‘23.

Track can be a grind, and it’s not for everyone. “It's really hard to do multiple things at once, so a lot of people quit the team,” said Kushnick. “Some people cannot handle commuting, and it's a rough sport to be in if you don't have the right mindset for it or if you have other things going on such as an internship or another sport.”

The players have sacrificed a lot of their time to be on a team, but they see it as worthwhile. “The times we spend together at meets sleeping while waiting for races are really nice,” said Wu. “The track we go to practice is really far, like an hour and a half away from the school, so the train rides together and getting food at the deli are really bonding times.”

“Our captain is really good, [senior] Kayla McCloud, she’s one of the best sprinters,” said Kushnick. “She comes to every single meet no matter how early it is, even if she’s not running, just to support us, and it's really amazing.”

Now that the outdoor track season has started, it will be exciting to see what these athletes can accomplish in the months ahead as the seniors push to leave one last mark in the Midwood record books and help the next generation of runners hit their stride.

Kushnick offered this advice: “Don't let a sport become too much of a stressor. Make sure you are also prioritizing your work and not just practice. If you use those pockets of time you have in the right way, then you can get so much more done.”